Airlines for America applauds JetBlue on sustainable jet fuel deal

WASHINGTON, DC – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading US airlines, today applauded JetBlue’s announcement that it has secured a long-term purchase agreement fo

WASHINGTON, DC – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading US airlines, today applauded JetBlue’s announcement that it has secured a long-term purchase agreement for sustainable alternative aviation fuel.


Under the agreement, JetBlue plans to purchase more than 33 million gallons of jet fuel with 30 percent renewable jet fuel content. The renewable jet fuel portion, which will be produced from select non-food plant oils, is targeted to achieve a 50 percent or higher reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per gallon on a life-cycle basis.

“With this announcement, U.S. airlines continue to lead the way to a more secure and environmentally friendly future,” said A4A’s Vice President, Environmental Affairs Nancy Young. “Sustainable alternative aviation fuels help our members build on their already strong environmental record and help reduce price volatility and enhance energy security by providing a competitor to petroleum-based jet fuel.”

A4A and its members have long been leading advocates for the development and deployment of commercially viable, environmentally friendly alternative jet fuel. In 2006, A4A joined the Federal Aviation Administration, the Aerospace Industries Association and Airports Council International-North America in co-founding the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative® (CAAFI), which has helped take sustainable alternative jet fuels from test flights to commercial deployment. A4A also co-founded the Farm to Fly program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Boeing, a program linking sustainable feedstock supply with production and deployment, which now includes multiple government and industry partners.



JetBlue joins other A4A members, including United, FedEx, Southwest and Alaska, with purchase agreements for alternative jet fuel, with United already receiving supply for aircraft operations at Los Angeles International Airport.

U.S. airlines drive 5 percent of U.S. economic activity but account for only 2 percent of GHG emissions. U.S. airlines burned 6 percent less fuel in 2015 than they did in 2000, resulting in a 6 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, even though they carried 24 percent more passengers and cargo over that period. Even so, the U.S. airlines are active participants in a global aviation coalition that has committed to 1.5 percent annual average fuel efficiency improvements through 2020 and carbon neutral growth from 2020, subject to critical aviation infrastructure, operational and technology advances achieved by government and industry.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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